You don’t have to spend a ton of money on products to look great. In fact, there are many products for healthy hair and skin in your own kitchen! You can create your own masks, hair treatments, skin exfoliants, and more, using items commonly found in your fridge and pantry.

Try out these DIY recipes for healthier hair and skin to save time and money spent searching store aisles for the perfect solution to your hair and skin woes.

Apple

Shiny hair treatment: Combine a cup each of apple and pear juice with two tablespoons of organic apple cider vinegar. Apply apple solution to hair after a shampoo and allow to soak for several minutes before rinsing out. You can condition afterward or use this treatment as a hair conditioner. Apple contributes to hair strength, while pear juice helps your hair reflect light and increase shine. Apple cider vinegar, or ACV, removes buildup from your hair and scalp to increase hair’s shine, manageability, and overall health.

Avocado

Hair mask: Mash together half an avocado and a banana. Add two tablespoons of honey and two to three tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Apply paste to hair from root to tip, and leave in your hair for thirty minutes. Rinse gently with cool water to rinse off the paste, and follow with a shampoo. You can use this recipe twice a month to maintain hair’s shine. If your hair is very long, double the recipe or adjust it to suit what ingredients you have on hand – for instance, use the whole avocado if you don’t have a banana, leave out the oil if you don’t have any handy. Work with the recipe to see what works best for your hair.

Baking soda

No ‘poo: Try going without shampoo – it’s not as crazy as it sounds. Many shampoos strip your hair and scalp of naturally-occurring oils, leading to hair damage and excessive oil production from the scalp to maintain the level of oils your hair needs. This leads to overproduction of oil, which leads to more frequent shampooing, which starts the cycle all over! Break the shampoo cycle by washing hair with baking soda and conditioning with apple cider vinegar. Add one tablespoon of baking soda per cup of warm water to make a solution for washing your hair. Apply the solution to your roots, taking care to scrub the scalp – the baking soda clarifies the scalp without interrupting the production of oil from your hair’s natural patterns. It removes oil and product buildup from the hair strands, leaving your hair clean without any chemical residues from common shampoo ingredients. Any baking soda left on the scalp may cause you to itch later, so rinse very thoroughly with warm water. Apply organic apple cider vinegar in the same ratio – one tablespoon per cup of warm water – as a conditioning agent to maintain scalp pH and increase shine, and rinse out. Simply comb through after your shower to detangle hair (a wide-tooth comb is best). There is a transition period with this method; your hair may be excessively oily for up to two months as your scalp learns to stop overcompensating for oil stripping; however, some no ‘poo proponents had no transition period at all.

Citrus

Exfoliating mask for the skin: Combine one tablespoon of orange (or another citrus, such as lime or lemon) juice with one tablespoon of baking soda. Mix well, and apply all over the face. Let dry for twenty minutes – it will tingle at first – and then rinse away. The citrus juice helps brighten your skin and keep pores clean, while the baking soda exfoliates and removes dead skin cells from your face. This mask is useful for regular clarifying, prevention of blackheads, and reduction of acne breakouts and redness. The citrus mask can be used up to twice a week, or more if your skin doesn’t mind. Pay attention to your skin – if it becomes irritated, use this treatment less often.

Coconut oil

Sun protection: Apply coconut oil to your skin before heading outside. The high smoke point of the oil blocks the burn from the sun without blocking UV rays, which we need so that we can maintain appropriate levels of Vitamin D from the sun. You will need to apply the oil frequently, as much as every hour in constant sun exposure depending on your skin type, and you should limit your sun exposure at first when trying this method, in order to allow your skin to adapt to the exposure. Apply coconut oil and limit sun exposure to a few hours for several days before increasing your time in the sun’s rays after your skin’s introductory period.

Honey

Shine-boosting hair rinse: Dissolve a tablespoon of honey into a quart of warm water, and use this solution to rinse your hair after a shampoo. Leave in hair for up to an hour to condition hair, and then rinse out with warm water.

Face scrub: Combine honey with ground nuts (such as walnuts) and a splash of lemon juice. Apply to your face as a revitalizing, exfoliating, and moisturizing scrub and rinse gently with warm water. The nuts exfoliate away dead skin cells, the lemon juice brightens skin and reduces acne inflammation, and the honey moisturizes the skin.

Face wash: Simply wash your face with honey. Honey is a natural antimicrobial and antibacterial that moisturizes skin and is effective for every skin type. Honey contains enzymes that improve skin health as you scrub, and honey is effective in treating acne-prone skin. Pull hair back away from your face (which should be free of makeup before applying honey), and warm up about half a teaspoon of raw honey in your hands by rubbing your palms together. Massage the warmed honey into your face, for at least a couple minutes. You can leave the honey to soak into your skin for up to ten minutes if you wish. Rinse the honey off with warm water, using a washcloth if it is not rinsing easily.

Moisturizing mask: One teaspoon of raw honey with one teaspoon of aloe vera juice (a great reason to raise an aloe plant in your home!) makes a healing and moisturizing facial cleanser. Apply the mixture to your face and rinse with warm water after about fifteen minutes. Aloe is a natural healing plant, able to treat sunburn, acne, and other skin ailments. Aloe and honey are both natural moisturizing agents, and this cleansing mask will lock in skin’s moisture and combat acne breakouts.

Oil

Oil cleansing method: The oil cleansing method, OCM, is doing the unthinkable – deliberately rubbing oil all over your face. Don’t panic! Believe it or not, oil is not bad for your skin, nor does it inherently lead to skin blemishes. In fact, our skin’s natural oil is there for a reason – it helps to moisturize the skin. Conventional facial cleansers designed to eliminate the oil from your face are a huge part of the reason you’re still having issues with oil in the first place. To remove dirty oil from your face (the dirt, bacteria, and other debris is what causes pimples; not the oil itself), you need only apply some clean oil to wash it away. Apply your mix of oil (instructions and ratios available on the oil cleansing method webpage, linked above) to your skin and massage with fingertips. Soak a washcloth in hot, steamy water (from the tap or previously heated on the stove and allowed to cool to a safe temperature), and cover your face to allow the steam to open your pores and remove impurities and blemish-causing debris from your face. Rinse the cloth in hot water and repeat the steaming a few times before gently wiping away the oil with the washcloth. Visit the website linked above for more detailed information on OCM.

Onion

Hair growth and health: Onion is touted as a natural remedy for hair loss, but it also improves overall scalp and hair health as well. Onion treatments can be used for dandruff and scalp infections. Using a food processor or blender, puree onions into a fine paste, and strain through cheesecloth to separate the juice from the paste. You can apply the liquid and/or paste directly to your scalp and massage into the skin. Onion will naturally lighten the color of your hair and add shine. You can use this treatment every time you shampoo – and you will need to wash your hair after applying the onion to get rid of the onion smell. Try rinsing with the juice of a lemon after you wash to give your hair a fresh, clean scent. You can also add other ingredients, such as avocado to make a paste, or honey to moisturize and improve the smell of the solution. If using onion for hair loss, expect to wait a month or two before seeing noticeable results.

Salt

Sea salt body scrub: Combine two sprigs of fresh rosemary (chopped) with one cup of sea salt and ½ cup of extra-virgin olive oil. In the bath or shower, massage the salt scrub onto your wet skin. Working from the feet up helps to engage blood flow to the extremities. What makes this scrub good for your skin? Salt is a natural exfoliant, olive oil is an incredible moisturizer, and rosemary is a natural anti-inflammatory which will soothe and calm skin that has been irritated by exfoliation.

There are hundreds of DIY skin and hair care recipes that you can create and try using ingredients you probably already have in your home’s kitchen pantry! Avacor® provides an all natural supplement called Nutricap designed to promote hair strength and beauty that contains a combination of herbal and organic extracts. Do you have any other suggestions for natural hair care products? Tell us about them in the comments.